Door securing means



Feb. 5, 1935. B. R. JONES DOOR SECURING MEANS Filed Dec. 23, 1931 [mentor Hart 1?. Jones Patented Feb. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR SECURING MEANS Bert R. Jones, West Haven, Conn. Application December 23, 1931, Serial No. 582,755 3 Claims. (01. 292-202) This invention relates to improvements in door combined actuating and locking means comprissecuring means especially adapted for use in coning the bar A, keeper engaging cranks .B-B, nection with double doors of railway refrigerator keepers CC, journal brackets DD, operating cars. lever E, and locking means G, is well known in One object of the invention is to provide a the art and needs no further description, the n doorlatching means for double hinged doors of same being fully disclosed in Patent No. 1,193,414 refrigerator cars, whereby both doors are held hereinbefore mentioned. closed and secured against accidental opening. In carrying out my invention, I provide a piv- Another object of the invention is to provide oted latch member H, which is mounted on the in combination with the usual operating and locklower keeper bracket C and engages over protect- 10 mg means for holding the double doors of reing wear plates K and M. The lower keeper enfrigerator cars closed, latching means for both gaging bracket C is provided with an extension doors by which the door first closed is secured 20, which is forked at its outer end, as indicated against opening movement during actuation of at 21, said forked portion receiving the lower end the operating and locking means coacting with of the latch member H so as to support the same 15 the other door, and wherein said latching means for swinging movement. A pivot member 22 in is also employed to secure the last named door in the form of a bolt or lag screw is employed to locked position, thereby providing a safety device connect the latch H to the bracket C, this pivot to prevent accidental opening of said door with member extending through aligned openings in resultant outward swinging movement of the lever the forked section 21 of the bracket C and a pivot 20 of the operating and locking means in case the opening 23 at the bottom end of the latch member door has not been properly locked in closed posi- H. The latch member H is of angular outline, tion. as mostclearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, com- Other objects of the invention will more clearprising an arm 24 forming the main body portion 25 1y appear from the description and claims hereof the latch and a laterally extending integral 25 inafter following. finger 25 at the upper end of said arm, said finger In the drawing, forming a part of this specifibeing disposed at an angle to the arm which is cation, Figure 1 isan elevational view of the greater than 90, whereby the finger 25 is disside wall of a refrigerator car, illustrating my posed in substantially horizontal position when improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 the latch member is in locking relation with re- 30 is i an enlarged, detailed, side elevational view spect to the doors 12 and 13, as shown in Figure 1. of a pivoted latch member employed in connec- The wear plate K is secured to the lower inner tion with my improvements. And Figure 3 is an right-hand corner of the door 13, as shown in edge elevational View of the latch member shown Figure 1, while the wear plate M is secured to the in Figure 2, looking from the left in said figure. lower inner corner of the door 12. 35

In said drawing, 10 designates the side wall As will be clear upon reference to OConnor of a refrigerator car, which wall is provided with Patent No. 1,193,414, the door which carries the the usual door opening 11. The door opening actuating and locking means is the door closed 11 is closed by swinging doors 12 and 13, which are last and has the beveled inner edge thereof overa hinged along their vertical outer edges to the lapping the other door. 40 door frame by means of the usual hinge members In closing the doors, the operation is the same 14-14 and 14-14. The doors 12 and 13 are of the as that described in said OConnor patent, the usual type employed in connection with redoor 13 being first brought to closed position frigerator cars, having their inner meeting edges and the latch H swung in overlapping relation beveled and overlapping, as clearly shown in with respect to the plate K. At this time the 45 Figure 2 of Patent No. 1,193,414 granted August latch H is not moved a sufficient distance to 1, 1916, to John F. OConnor. The door 12 has a engage with the door 12. The door 12 is then rotary combined actuating and locking bar A swung to partly closed position so as to bring mounted thereon, which has keeper engaging the keeper engaging members B-B of the ac- 5 crank members B-B at the top and bottoms ends tuating and locking means into proper position thereof engaging keepers C-C mounted on the to effect engagement thereof with the keepers door frame. The bar is journaled in top and when the bar A is rotated by the lever E. Upon bottom brackets DD fixed to the door 12 and is rotation of the bar A, the door 12 will be forced operated by a pivoted lever E, which is latched in to tightly closed position. When the door 12 closed position by the locking member G. The has been thus closed, the latch member H is 55 swung to its limit in a right-hand direction, as viewed in Figure 1, thereby engaging the finger thereof over the corner plate M of the door 12. As will be evident, thedatch H in the position shown in Figure 1 secures both doors 12 and 13 in closed position and maintained in that position due to the action of gravity. This is of especial advantage as a safety device for holding the doors closed; When the operator has neglected to properly close the doors by the combined actuating and locking means, not having latched the lever E by means of the locking device G. This frequently takes place when the cars are not loaded and the doors are closed without sealing the same by the usual sealing means employed in connection with the locking. member G and the lever latching means position at all secures the door 1 2 in closed times, regardless of the proper securing of the combinedactuating and lociiin'g means, accidental loosening and rotation of the locking barydue to vibrations of the car in transit,

aref jelimina ted, thereby preventing accidental opening of the door and protecting boththe operating means and the door 12 frnm damage. Such-damage would naturally occur due to sideswiping by another car when the door is partially open; p In opening the doors, the latch H is swung to the left, as viewed in Figure 1, so as to clear the edge of the door 12. The combined actuating and locking means is then operated by swinging thelever E so as to rotate the bar A. By the action of the combined actuating and locking means the door 12 is forced partly open. After partial opening of the door, the same may be directly swung to fully open position by the attendant. As will be obvious, the door 13 may be then opened after completely disengaging the latch H from the lower corner thereof. I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred mannerof carrying out my invention, but the same is merely illustrative and .I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto. 7

I claim:

1. In a door securing means for a refrigerator car having double-doors hinged along their outer edges, the inner edge of one door overlapping the inner edge of the other door when the doers are closed, the combination with a supporting bracket fixed to the car below the bottom edges rp sition. V

E. Inasmuch as my improved" arm being of a width to overlap of the doors; of a latch arm pivoted on said bracket for swinging movement in a plane parallel doors Whenclosed, said latch a width that it overlaps the to the plane of the arm being of such lower inner edgesjof both doors whensaid latch sition and; the position in which it clears both doors to engage over the lower. inner corner of the overlappeddoor only to hold the lattericlosed while the overlapping door is formed to closed {2; 'In a door" securing means for a refrigerator car having double doors hinged along theirzouter edges, the inner edges of said doorsbeingbeveled and saidinner edge of one door orerlapping the inner edge of the other door when the doors are closed, the combination with a supporting member fixedgto' the car below the doors and adjacent to the meeting inner edges thereot of a latch arm pivoted to said supportingmember for swinging movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the doors ,Wiien closed, said latch the lower inner corners of both doors'when said latch is in locking position to hold said doors closed, said latch arm beingretractable to a position to entirely clear both of said doors.

3. In a door securing means for a refrigerator car having double doors hinged-along their outer edges, the inner edges of'said doors being beveled and said inner edge of one door overlapping the inner edge of the other'door when the doors are closed, the combinati'on'with a. supporting member fixed to the car below the doors and adjacent to the meeting inneredges' thereof; of a latch member comprisingan arm having an angular extension at one end and having the other end pivoted OIITSZtidQSHPDOI'U to permit swinging movement of said latch member in a plane parallel to the plane of said doors when closed, said latch memberwhenin locking position having the arm thereof engaging over the lower inner corner of one of' said doors and the angular extension'thereof engaging over the lower inner corner of the other door, said latch member being movable to a position to overlap the lower corner of one of said doors only and being further movable to completely clear both doors.

BERT R. JONES. 

